It was established on January 19, 1939, to replace the Chamber of
Deputies during the 30th legislature of Italy. Members of the chamber
were called '"national councilors" (consiglieri nazionali) rather than
deputies. The councilors of the chamber did not represent geographic
constituencies , but the different branches of the trade and industry
of Italy, thus reflecting the corporativist idea of fascist ideology.

Councilors were elected for terms of undetermined length and
automatically lost their seats upon their defection from the branch
they did represent. Renewal of the legislature was ordered by decree
by the King of
ItalyItaly , on specific instruction of the head of
government (Mussolini).

No elections took place in
ItalyItaly between 1934 and 1946. Unlike
earlier elections for the legislature held under the Fascist era,
popular suffrage was eliminated altogether. Instead, candidates were
simply delivered under the pretext of a parliamentary reform,
replacing the elections system with a body comprising only candidates
of the various corporations of Italy, fulfilling
Benito MussoliniBenito Mussolini 's
vow of enacting a complete corporativist system.

The candidates for the approximately 600 seats were nominated
summarily by three organs: the
Grand Council of Fascism of the
National Fascist PartyNational Fascist Party (PNF), by the National Council of the members
of the PNF, and by the different corporations resembling the entire
trade and industry of Italy, canalized through the National Council of
Corporations (Consiglio Nazionale della Corporazioni), effectively in
the hands of Mussolini and the PNF.